What to do When You Can’t Ride Your Motorcycle

Here are four things you can do to help scratch the itch when you want to get out and ride your motorcycle but you can’t. It’s actually a lot more than four, but, you’ll see…

On April 6th I wrote: “I’ve left the virus off of YouMotorcycle because I want motorcycles (and motorcycle content) to always be a source of smiles (not frowns) for all of you.” And I stand by that. But the reality is that some of us in certain parts of the world haven’t been able to get out and ride for a long time now. If you’re starting to get a little stir crazy, this post is for you.

Find something good to watch

Honestly, I’m not a big fan of consuming too much video content, unless it’s something I can learn from, but there is so much awesome content to stream, on so many different platforms, that I end up getting sucked into something anyway. Here are some of my recommended motorcycle-related content across a few different platforms that you might already be subscribed to:

Netflix:

Warrior – Warrior is a six episode crime/tv drama Netflix special. A war veteran, plagued by guilt over his final mission, teams up with his best friend’s widow to infiltrate a violent biker bang in Copenhagen. Granted, that does mean you’ll probably need to read the subtitles, so this doesn’t make for a good “background show” while you’re doing house chores, but the show is good enough that you won’t mind.

Amazon:

Triumph 650 Engine Disassembly and Rebuild – This thirteen episode series delivers on exactly what it’s title promises. Created by Lowbrow Customs, you’ll get a ton of inside tips and tricks, and even if you never touch a Triumph 650 engine in your lifetime, you’ll learn a lot of valuable lessons that you can take with you to other motorcycle projects.

White Knuckle – Brian Darwas of Atomic Hot Rods creates a lot of great short motorcycle films. I had previously featured his video on the Long Beach Cavaliers over on bikerMetric. In White Knuckle, Darwas travels coast to coast documenting the Motorcycle Canonball, the most difficult antique motorcycle endurance run in the world.

Why We Ride – Winner of best documentary at the 2013 Motorcycle Film Festival, Why We Ride quickly cemented it’s place in motorcycling as an instant cult-classic. Why We Ride is an inspirational look into the world of motorcycling, as told a diverse group of personalities known throughout the two wheel community. It’s not only a doc that will please all riders, it’s something you should watch with your friends and loved ones to help them “get it”.

Hulu:

South Park “The F Word” (Season 13, Episode 12) – The boys face off against a group of obnoxious Harley-Davidson riders who really, really, really, need everyone to know they ride motorcycles. Bruhbruhbrubrubrubrubrub!

If I missed something good, let me know in the comments! Also, Sons of Anarchy is no longer available on Netflix? Boo!

Pick up some parts or learn how to do some maintenance or other stuff

The off-season is always the best time to shop for, pick-up, and install some motorcycle parts. If this were any other year, I’d probably dedicate an entire section of this article on motorcycle modifications and upgrades. Unfortunately, all around the world, people are hurting for cash right now, so let’s assume that new motorcycle parts aren’t your number one priority.

If you can’t afford fancy upgrades right now, maybe you can at least scratch your motorcycle itch by learning how to wrench on your motorcycle and do more service on it yourself.

I’ve put together nearly 50 informative videos on YouMotorcycle’s YouTube channel sharing a ton of information with you guys, from how to wrench on specific motorcycles, to skills like how to strap down and tow a motorcycle, to industry information like why Harley’s LiveWire sales aren’t what Harley hoped they would be, and general motorcycle information like what effects motorcycle riding could have on pregnancy!

There’s a whole lot of great content out there, so if parts aren’t in the budget right now, you can get your fix by following along with what we’re up to over here, and maybe learning a thing or two.

Explore a motorcycle museum (from your own home)

If videos aren’t really your thing, no worries, I got you. First of all, yes, motorcycle museums are definitely a thing. Secondly, they’re amazing. And lastly, you can explore them from the comfort of your own home, no waiting in line, no having to put on pants. Admittedly, these “virtual walk-throughs” are nowhere near as cool as the real thing, but here are six cool ones you can check out from the comfort of your own home:

The Harley-Davidson Museum

The Harley-Davidson Museum spans over 130,000 square feet. You can take a walk (and get all your daily steps in) through the company’s 117 year history, tours, bikes to sit on and even test ride, a bar and restaurant, and of course, a gift shop. Digitally, you obviously don’t get the full experience, but it’s still fun to check it out. They also have 360-degree content you can see on Facebook.

Honda Collection Hall

The Honda Collection Hall is a museum of Honda consumer and racing products out of Motegi. The collection includes about 350 cars, motorcycles and power products. Some of the more well known motorcycles include the first product to carry the Honda name (a 1947 Honda Dream), the first Honda to get a MotoGP point (1959 RC142), the first Honda to win at the Isle of Man TT (191 2RC143) and more, here.

Yamaha Communications Plaza

Ranked the #1 thing to do in Iwata, Japan, on TripAdvisor. The real life museum features famed motorcycles from Yamaha’s history, includes restaurants, other powersports gear and equipment, and has interactive motorcycle and jetski simulators. The online walk-through might not be as fun, but there’s still a lot to check out.

Suzuki History Museum

A real-life walk-through of the Suzuki History Museum would take you about 45 minutes, plus a 16 hour flight. Luckily for you, you have the internet, and the internet has YouMotorcycle, and YouMotorcycle has a link for you to digitally walk-through Suzuki’s history, here.

Kawasaki Good Times World

Kobe, Japan is known all around the world for two things, motorcycles, and beef, but only one of those things has it’s own museum.

Ducati Museum

The Ducati Museum has been visited by over 650,000 Ducatisti and other motorcycle lovers since it’s opening in 1998. To put it into perspective, the museum is housed in Bologna, Ducati’s home, which has a population of only 388,000. Go get dressed up, make yourself a nice panino, and have a look at some timeless Italian elegance.

Pick up, wait for it…. A new hobby!

Look, I just want you all to be happy, so if that means you pick up another hobby for a little while, I’m in your little weird corner cheering for you. Let your freak flag fly and do what works for you!

Some of you might remember that years ago I built a Harbor Freight trailer and shared a couple posts full of some handy modifications to make the Harbor Freight folding trailer better and perfect for towing a motorcycle on. More recently, I’ve been showing off my motorcycle trailer that lowers flat to the ground.

Well, I’ve put a deposit on something new that I’m going to be customizing inside and out. Stay tuned for more on that… But yes, it has to do with motorcycles, and yes, it has to do with towing them, but also so much more. Here’s a little preview:

UPDATE

I didn’t end up getting the little toy hauler I put money down on. It was a long drawn out 3 months of time wasted and a very bad experience with Lay-Zee Acres RV Sales.

Conclusions

This quarantine stuff is a divisive topic, but whatever your view on it, here are few things I hope we all can agree on:

• Motorcycling is awesome
• We should always do what we can to help our motorcycle brothers and sisters
• This too shall pass and things will one day go back to normal
• When that day comes we can all go out for a ride
• Until then, there’s plenty to do to scratch your itch for a motorcycle fix

As always, thank you guys for reading.

COMMENTS: What are you doing now that you can’t ride as much as you’d like? Let me know in the comments!